Primarily a British blues band, Fleetwood Mac scored a UK number one with "Albatross", and had other hits such as the singles "Oh Well" and "Man of the World". All three guitarists left in succession during the early 1970s, to be replaced by guitarists Bob Welch and Bob Weston and vocalist Dave Walker. By 1974, all three of them had either departed or been dismissed, leaving the band without a male lead vocalist or guitarist. In late 1974, while Fleetwood was scouting studios in Los Angeles, he was introduced to American folk-rock duo Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Fleetwood Mac soon asked Buckingham to be their new lead guitarist, and Buckingham agreed on condition that Nicks would also join the band.
The addition of Buckingham and Nicks gave the band a more pop rock sound, and their 1975 self-titled album, Fleetwood Mac, reached No. 1 in the United States. Rumours (1977), Fleetwood Mac's second album after the arrival of Buckingham and Nicks, produced four U.S. Top 10 singles and remained at number one on the American albums chart for 31 weeks. It also reached the top spot in various countries around the world and won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1978. Rumours has sold over 40 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums in history. The band went through personal turmoil while recording the album, as both the romantic partnerships in the band (one being John and Christine McVie, and the other being Buckingham and Nicks) separated while continuing to make music together.
The band's personnel remained stable through three more studio albums, but by the late 1980s began to disintegrate. After Buckingham and Nicks each left the band, they were replaced by a number of other guitarists and vocalists. A 1993 one-off performance for the first inauguration of Bill Clinton featured the lineup of Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Nicks, and Buckingham back together for the first time in six years. A full reunion occurred four years later, and the group released their fourth U.S. No. 1 album, The Dance (1997), a live compilation of their hits, also marking the 20th anniversary of Rumours. Christine McVie left the band in 1998, but continued to work with the band in a session capacity. Meanwhile, the group remained together as a four-piece, releasing their most recent studio album, Say You Will, in 2003. Christine McVie rejoined the band full-time in 2014. In 2018, Buckingham was fired from the band and was replaced by Mike Campbell, formerly of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Neil Finn of Split Enz and Crowded House.
Fleetwood Mac has sold more than 120 million records worldwide, making them one of the world's best-selling bands. In 1979, the group was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1998 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.
Danny Kirwan, guitarist, songwriter and early member of Fleetwood Mac (1968–1972) died in London, England, on 8 June 2018, aged 68. An obituary in The New York Times said he had died in his sleep after contracting pneumonia earlier in the year. The British music magazine Mojo quoted Christine McVie as saying: "Danny Kirwan was the white English blues guy. Nobody else could play like him. He was a one-off ... Danny and Peter [Green] gelled so well together. Danny had a very precise, piercing vibrato – a unique sound ... He was a perfectionist; a fantastic musician and a fantastic writer." One of Kirwan's songs, "Tell Me All the Things You Do" from the 1970 album Kiln House, was included in the set of the 2018–19 An Evening with Fleetwood Mac tour.
On 28 May 2020 Neil Finn, featuring Nicks and McVie, with Campbell on guitar, released the song “Find Your Way Back Home” for the Auckland, New Zealand homeless shelter Auckland City Mission.
Founding member Peter Green died on 25 July 2020 at the age of 73. In October 2020, Rumours again entered the Billboard top 10. The album received 30.6 million plays on streaming platforms the week of October 15, after a TikTok video of the song "Dreams" went viral.
On 30 November 2022, it was announced that band member Christine McVie died at the age of 79, after a short illness.
Goodbye Angel
Fleetwood Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm going down, but I'm not going 'round the bend
I'm giving out, but I'm not giving in
Love turned to hate
Touch turned to pull
What could I do? My cup was full
Goodbye angel
Goodbye angel
I'm giving out, but I'm not giving in
'Cause yesterday is not like today, my friend
Love turned to hate
Touch turned to pull
What could I do? My cup was full
Goodbye angel
Down, down, I'm going down, down, down
I'm going down down, down
Go down, down, down
Go down, down, down
I'm going down, down, ooh
Goodbye angel (just let it go)
Goodbye angel (keep on pulling, just let it go)
Goodbye angel (keep on pulling, just let it go)
Goodbye angel (keep on pulling)
Goodbye angel (just let it go)
Goodbye angel (keep on pulling, just let it go)
The lyrics to Fleetwood Mac's song "Goodbye Angel" were written by Lindsey Buckingham and they convey a sense of resignation and acceptance of an inevitable ending. The song's narrator is going down, but he is not going 'round the bend. He is giving out, but he is not giving in. The verses are short and to the point, as if the singer is matter of factly describing the end of a relationship in which love turned to hate and touch turned to pull. The chorus reinforces the theme of letting go and moving on, as the singer repeats "Goodbye angel" several times while urging himself to "just let it go" and "keep on pulling."
The image of the "cup was full" suggests that the singer has reached his limit and can no longer tolerate the situation. It's as if he's saying "I've done all I can, but I can't take it anymore." The repeated phrases in the chorus echo this sense of reaching the end of one's rope and accepting the inevitability of the situation. Buckingham's understated and introspective guitar work adds to the bittersweet mood of the song, as if capturing the poignant moment when one lets go of something that once meant so much.
Overall, "Goodbye Angel" is a moving and deeply personal song that speaks to the universal experience of loss and letting go. It's a reminder that sometimes endings are necessary for new beginnings to occur.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodbye Angel
The singer is addressing someone they are saying goodbye to.
I'm going down but I'm not going 'round the bend
The singer is facing a difficult situation, but they are not losing their mind or giving up.
I'm giving out but I'm not giving in
The singer is tired and losing energy, but they are not giving up on the situation at hand.
Love turned to hate
The relationship between the artist and the addressed person was once based on love, but has now turned to hate.
Touch turned to pull
The physical connection between the artist and the addressed person has turned into a situation where one is pulling away from the other.
What could I do
The singer feels like they are helpless in the situation and unable to do anything about it.
My cup was full
The singer has had enough and cannot handle any more of the situation.
(Just let it go)
The artist is telling themselves or the addressed person to let go of the situation and move on.
(Keeping on pulling)
Despite the situation being over, the addressed person is still trying to pull the artist back.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Lindsey Buckingham
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Henri Hudson
on Tusk
Why don't you ask him if he's going to stay?
Why don't you ask him if he's going away?